Arch-supporting footwear



June 1s, l1929. H, A, GARTNER# 1,711,968

ARCH SUPPORTING FOOTWEAR Filed Aug. '17, 1927 FIG I FG- Tf- INVENTOR;

Hnry H. Galina',

ATTORNEYS.

Patented .lune 18, 1929..

UNETE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. GARTNER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF T ROBERT J". CAMPBELL, JR., OF DREXEL HILL, ENNSYLVANIA. i

ARCH-SUPPORTING FOOTWEAR.

Application filed August 17, 1927.

This invention relates to tootwear tor human beings and it has more pru'ticular reterence to boots and shoes designed to scientifically support the arch oit the toot.

Footwear a means otl protection tor the :teet is an art .in itsell and has been materially advaneid by modern `machinery, the tanning ot leathers used .in their manufacture, and the use ot diverse compositions intended to reduce toot strains in the act ot w: lking, standing :tor long periods, and so tortln However', despite all such improvements, it has been impossible to produce 'footwear that strictly conter-ms with the normal action of the various joints ot the hun man toot; or, in otherl words, the tunctions ot' the human toot and the moif'ements ot the footwear, up to the present time, have not heen harmoniously attuned or balanced.

(lfenerally, the soles ot boots and slices embody an inner element, an outer element, and a heel, with a tiller interposed between said sole elements before sewing or nailing together. rthose lillers are 'usually cut trom sheets composed. of ground cork with a suitable cementitious binder, and they are insei-ted to prevent squeaking in the act ot walking. Atter such tootwiar have been in use 'tor a length et time, the normal heat ot the toot, as well as the piisli-ot in walking, cause a shitting ot such vfillers backwardsrelative to the soles-and thus create a marked concavity on the inner side oi 'the inner sole. This concavity is most pronounced in the region ot the big toe, and the 'second and third toe joints, against which the anterior met-atarsal regions et the Ytoot tall, which results 'in an overstretching ot the plantar' muscles and a contraction of the dorsal muscles. In turn there is eli'ected a weakening ot the tibialis anticus and the tibialis posticus muscles, which assist in holdine up the longitudinal and transverse arches ot the -toot, and as said arches are sustained. by the toot muscles, tendons, and ligaments, when tunctioning properly, it is highly important that no impedance or resistance to their natural functioning be encountered, as any interference therewith. invariably produces flat or weak feet.

The primary object ot this invention is to eti'ectively overcome the foregoing disadvantages, noted as existent in ordinary 'tootwear, by providing a scientitically correct supporting position for the transverse arch Serial No. 213,452.

ot the toot under all normal conditions, no matter whether the arch be fallen7 or otherwise, while aitording tree natural movement for the foot bones and muscles.

Another object is to 'furnish toot-wear which preserve their original correct shape, while the ctiller above referred to is etlectively prevented lirom creeping or otherwise setting up any irregularity in the region supporting the ball of the toot and the transverse arch.

Other objects and advantages incident toy my invention will be manifest from the tollowing detailed explanation which, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrates a practical embodiment thereo't; while the appended claims deine those vfeatures alleged as novel in the art and on which patent. protection is desired.

Tersely stated, my invention essentially consists of a relatively pliable unitary device, litted into the soles ot footwear, which correctly supports the transverse arch ot' the toot from the ground; that continues to do so as the footwear wears down in use; and, which also acts in the capacity ot a dam to prevent formation ot irregularities at the ball ot the soles and in the region ot the shank or arc'h.

In. the drawings Eig. I is an underside plan ot a mans or boys shoe, with a portion ot the outer sole broken away to better disclose the insert member constituting the fundamental oit my present invention.

Fig. II is a part side-and part sectionalview of the same, with the major portion oit the upper removed tor convenience in illustration.

Fig. III is a sectional view, taken as indicated by the arrowsIIIf-III, in Fig. I.

Fig. IV is a perspective view ot the insert above referred to and,

Fig. V is an enlarged end view looking in the direction ot the arrow -V- of the preceding illustration.

Referring more in detail to the drawings a standard style of slice, for men, women or children, lis comprehensively designated by the numeral 6; the same embodying an upper 7, outer sole 8, filler 9, inner sole and heel 11, all conventionally attached together in accordance with known methods.

My novel insert member-or what I preierably term a metatarsal bar-is designated generally by the reference character 12, and as best appreciated from Figs. 1V and V, it will be observed' the same is of irregularthough scientific-contour- More specifically this nietatarsal bar 12 is shaped,` or

` otherwise formed from rubber, leather, or

other suitable flexible sheet material, to provide a straight side 13, that is chanifered down toa substantial knife edge as indi cated at 14, a similarly beveled narrow end 15, an undulate side 1G, and a portion 17 that is of a profile to conform with the inner border outline of the sole8 intermediate the ball or tread portion 18, along and upwardly in alignment with the shank 19, as clearly seen on reference to Fig. I, more particularly. In other words, the insert bar 12 is fashioned-as clearly shown-to conform with the shape of the anterior nieta tarsal arch ofthe foot. Particular atten; tion is directed to the fact that the profile portion 17, above referred to, is hollowed out at 20 and upwardly flexed or raised; so that when applied in a shoe with the edge 17 snugly fitting alignedly between the border Vedges of the inner sole 10 and outer sole 8, the bar 12. is designed to transfer or deflect the weight from the inner side to the outer side of the foot. Accordingly, this anterior metatarsal or insert bar 12 located scientifically in the footwear under the ball of the foot as defined by the sesamoid bones of the big toe, and the second, third, and fourth metatarsal-phlangeal articulations. This relation results from its own unconstrained configurations as molded or otherwise shaped.

vWhen pressure `is applied, in the actV of walking, the insert bar 12 supports the weight, firmly; while such flexure as is necessai-y to adapt or fit said bar in a shoe effects a slight upward curvature thereof, so that it fits closely against the shank of the filler 9, and thereby obviates any tendency of the latter to creep in either direction; or, to work away from its initial position.

In the illustrated application of my invention, it will Vbe noted, theinsert bar 12 is secured by stitching 21 between the custo1naryV welt 8 F H and III-attached around the inner sole 1() and the outer sole 8; but, it may be attached to either of said soles by means of tacks, brads or screws. Again, as will be apparent, it is` not necessary to remove the entire outer sole 8, to insert the bar 12, and secure the same in proper position.

Shifting of the filler 9, as before mentioned, in shoes ofvordinary make, is initiated by the normal heat of the foot and the push-off in walking after a shoe has been in service for. some time, and by backward pressure-*incident to the bend or flexion of the foot at the point where the sole 8 of the shoe and shank 19 meet-said filler is gradually forced into the space intervening the inner and outer sole portions embodied in said shank. My novel insert 12 is particularly effective to counteract any suoli creeping of the filler 9 by serving as a dam which prevents said filler from working backward, by maintaining the saine in proper location relative to the inner and outer soles 10, 8, at all times. The insert bar 12 thus, not only also prevents weakening of the shoe transverse arch but similarly counteracts any tendency ofthe upper 7 to buckle or crease in the region of the shanks 19. Again, the insert bar 12 being initially raised or arched upwardly at 2O on the inner border of the shoe Grat the point where inostiof the body weight concentrated when walking, and by merging the saine toward the outer border ofV the shoe with respect to the most flexible part of the foot, as well as by keeping the filler 9 in its proper place; effectively prevents formation of any concavity in the shoe sole as said sole wears down. These features are of vital importance and fundamentally distinguish my invention over all known arch supports for the scaphoid, middle and external cuneiforin bones of the human foot.

Furthermore, the bar 12, by virtue of its scientifically designed formation, possesses no distorting tendency of its own, in that it does not lift the keystone of the transverse arch while leaving its inner side unsupported. When pressure is applied to the tread or bearing surface of the foot in walking, on my universally yielding and resiliently flexible insert l2, the wearers weight is evenly, firmly and yieldingly supported .from the ground; while the fatigue resulting from immobility of the muscles incident to the prior use of rigid and unyielding metal and similar braces is, obviously, avoided. The device 12 as a unit does not affect the normal yield of the shoe at the ball 18, but, on the contrary, permits it to accommodate itself freelyV to the foot and the ground. On the other hand, theidevice 12 not only supports the sesamoid bones and the metatarsal-phlangeal articulations under all conditions, thereby preventing the foot bones generally from assuming any abnormality tending to cause anterior metataralgia, but it relieves and functions to rectify such a condition.

From the foregoing it is thought the invention will be fully appreciated, and while I have described the same with some degree of particularity; the right is hereby reserved to make such variations in shape-to adapt said invention to different types of footwearas are fairly encompassed by reasong able interpretation accorded the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. As an article of manufacture a resilient member, for attachment transversely intermediate the inner and outer soles of footwear and rearwardly from the metatarsa-l arch, said member extending across the soles from edge to edge and embodying a forwardly directed chamfered straight edge, a rearward correspondingly-chamfered undulate portion, a reversely chamfered slightlyraised edge conforming with the inner border edges of the footwear' sole, and a comparatively narrow beveled edge aligned with the outerI border edge of said sole.

2. As an article of manufacture a resilient member for attachment transversely intermediate the inner and outer soles of footwear and rearwardly from the metatarsal arch, said member extending across the soles from edge to edge and of a configuration to occupy a plane commencing from a point at the inner border of the sole-known as the ball-and extending to the outer side of said ball at an elevation higher on the inner side and rearwards to afford support under the metatarsal bone of the big toe at a gradual slope towards the internal cuneiform bone, and also sloping downward to the region of the fourth metatarsal bone of the wearers foot to provide similar support therefor.

3. Footwear for human use embodying an insert member attached transversely between the inner and outer soles as well as from edge to edge thereof in the region rearward of the ball of the foot; said member having a forward tapering straight edge, a rear uli-- to edge thereof in the regionv rearward of the ballof the foot; said member having a forward tapering straight edge, a rear undulate chamfered edge, a slightly raised hollowed-out edge registering with the inner border edge of the footwear sole, and a comparatively narrow beveled edge aligning with the outer border edge of said sole; said member supporting the sesamoid bones of the wearers foot-as well as the metatarsalphlangeal articulations-under all conditions, and effectively preventing creepage of the sole filler backwards.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my naine at Penn Yan, New York, this ninth day of August, 1927.

HENRY A. GARTNER. 

